The Biltmore Cabaret

Loud atmosphere but great music! Had a great time dancing with friends and co-​workers! Would definitely go back!

REWIEW FOR A VISIT ON A SUNDAY AT KITTY NIGHT
After paying the admission of 9 $ we went into this tiny cabaret and we’re looking forward to the show. As this was my first burlesque show I was not sure what to expect but it was great. A good mixture of burlesque dancing, cabaret and comedy for over 2 hours. Respect guys. The dancers were good and made a he’ll of a show and the announcer was good fun too.
GREAT EVENING GUYS THANK YOU

The Biltmore Cabaret is COMPLETELY –UNDER-​rated!
I think that maybe since it’s in a weird area (Kingsway /​Prince Edward, compared to DT), it wouldn’t be my first thought to assume this place to be popular.
My sister and friend came here for «We Love Drake Night,» which was a completely spontaneous decision. We bought tickets in advance, purely just because we thought it would be funny. Doors were supposed to open at 10 but we actually didn’t end up making it inside until well passed 11. Not sure why people do this… I mean, that’s 1 hour and a half wasted, while people could have been inside, buying drinks, essentially handing $$ back to the venue. but sure okay, whatever.
As soon as we got inside I was surprised by the «character» that the venue had. It was much nicer than the events I’ve been to that were held at either Celebs or the Vogue. Although the Commodore is still my favorite in terms of music venues, I really like the set up and layout of the Biltmore as well! The music was awesome. Only a few non-​drake songs were sprinkled throughout the night, but for the most part, ALLLL DRAKE ALL NIGHT! Which is exactly what we came for! It was hilarious because everyone knew all the words, so the energy in the crowd was great.
I think there’s a Justin Bieber event coming up… I may or may not want to admit that I want to go to that! LOL =p

I, ve been here a few gigs. The last the incredible Titus Andronicus. This is a great place to see a rock band. sitelines are good except for a few poles. Lots of bartenders, bouncers/​door men seem about as friendly as those cro mags get! reasonable drink prices lots of standing room and a few tables. Excellent punk rock venue, reminds me of the old Town Pump!

Came here for a comedy show once. It was ⁴⁄₅. Saw the «Ladies of Humanity» show. It was never boring, but less one point because the talk just got a bit raunchy and when there’s too much sex humour, the novelty wears off. However great performance and energy from the group.
$ 2.50 refillable coke a cola.

I’m a fan of the Biltmore for a few reasons. One, they have offsale of cold beer later and are conveniently located to my home. Two, they have cool themed nights, like the ice cream socials which exclusively play music from the 90s and older eras. Three, they guy/​girl ratio is really good and the people there are unpretentious and open to conversation! It’s a great spot and you can generally go early or late without having to wait too long in line. Layout is great, bar staff are efficient and friendly. Booths along the side allow for larger groups to hangout and chat, dance floor in the middle is usually packed.

I felt like I was going to be mugged or beat up. The old and smelly basement feel was terrible. The seating and old décor was pretty bad. I went here for a show and to support a friend. Seating is mostly located on the side where pillars block your view of the stage. The bar over charges you for booze, but free refills on the soda pop. That’s nice.

Last night I went to Kitty Nights for the first time in 3 years, after becoming severely disabled. The Kitty Nights crew and the staff at The Biltmore Cabaret were absolutely phenomenal! They were incredibly accommodating, and were happy to do what I needed in order to attend. That they did it willingly and cheerfully was so huge for me. Most of the time, I feel like my disability is an inconvenience and a hassle. I don’t feel welcome, and I feel like people don’t want to make the effort to assist me. But not at Kitty Nights. They made me feel like a VIP instead of a nuisance. Thank you so much to both crews for your outstanding accommodations. You really went above and beyond for me, and I had a fantastic time! Once I’ve recovered from the evening’s festivities, I will definitely be back. Thank you for making Kitty Nights and The Biltmore such an inclusive space.

Nice mix of friendly east van’ers on a Wednesday for Ladies Against Humanity. The ambiance was palpably boisterous and age range was 20’s to 40’s. The show was much better than I expected; the comediennes putting in on really held their own in re-​enactments of pretty graphic scenes and used the dialogue throughout the night in their improv continuously. Bravo!

4 star venue 1 star owners.
Let’s start with the negatives. The owners of The Biltmore are strangely negative folks. Borderline rude to deal with, especially if you’re trying to book a large party. In my experience bringing 15 – 20 people to any venue is perceived as a good thing. That’s 20 or so people who are going to spend $ 20-​$ 40 at your bar who otherwise wouldn’t be there. I believe this is called ‘business common sense’. Or math to school children.
The Biltmore owners treat you more as an inconvenience. An attitude that filters down though the rest of the staff. This would be understandable if The Biltmore were a venue that sold out night in, night out, regardless. Yet it doesn’t. In fact, at times, it’s damn quiet in there. So excuse me for wanting to bring paying guests.
If you’re so anti new clientele (see their hilarious new guest ‘rules’ on their website), then put us all out of our misery and become a private members club.
Now the good. Great venue if you like it dark, dingy, with a walk up bar and no table service. This isn’t sarcasm by the way. Vancouver lacks these types of UK style small-​club venues. Of course they’re known for live music too. There’s also a killer hotdog guy outside for the inevitable beer munchies.
Nice after dark club venue. Shame about the attitude.

I love the talent that the Biltmore brings in– but the acoustics of the space are miserable! No matter how many times people «shhhh», all you can hear are the patrons at the bar talking over the show.
Every single time I’ve been here, the musician has to interrupt their act at one point to request silence– it’s awful. Even if individuals in the crowd aren’t talking loudly, their voices travel across the whole space. I’ll never go back here for any show I care about hearing.

I am not a fan of the venue and unless it is a band I really really want to see, coming here has been few and far with me. The developing room red bulbing lighting made me look 10 years younger, however, the darkness made it feel like a dungeon in a horror movie and less of a desirable concert venue. Horrible sound for rock shows, decent for electro and or more organic acoustic driven shows. Unless you get there right when the doors open, worst venue with horrible sight lines. The place smelled grungy and the bathroom barely had any toilet paper.

If you want to see boobs, this is the place to go. A little seedy, a little divey but ultimately very friendly. We came here for the very first amateur burlesque night, which is now on once a month, and it was awesome! $ 5 for a fantastic and very professional show. You can’t get anything else in this town for that kind of money.
They never charged me for a diet coke refill, which is very much appreciated and the staff seem lovely.
BOOBS!

*EDIT*
I’m knocking a star, because if there’s anything out there that bugs me more than gender policing, it’s gender policing over toilet use.
If the ladies need to pee and there’s a 20 person line-​up for the ladies room, let the girls who feel safe doing so use the empty men’s room please?
No need to do a dick-​check,
We’re all in the toilet to do the same thing, and while I recognize the need for a safe space for women in any environment where alcohol is being consumed, if it weren’t for the threat of rape, assault, harassment, and prudism, we would probably all be using the same washrooms anyway…
*/​EDIT*
When you screw up on my drink order and don’t make me pay for it?
You make a very happy me.
Five stars for you, Biltmore, for being what you are.
For friendly bartenders, and chill bouncers, and rich mahogany interiors (it’s probably not mahogany) and plush seating, and mediocre sound sometimes but awesome other times but who cares, and fantastic shows happening all the time,
And another double gin and tonic please.
My favorite venue in town — I’m going to miss it when those douchenozzle condo inhabitant twats noise-​complain it out of town. What did you expect moving in across the street from a night club, you dolts? Seriously…
Should have written this sober…

After seeing a few shows at the Biltmore, I couldn’t bring myself to go see Akron Family last night so my ticket went unused. I’ll never go there for a show again actually. Not so much an issue with the venue, although they could do more to address the problem, but the audience here is unbelievably rude. Why the heck do you pay to go see a band and then have a shouting conversation with your friends through their entire set? Multiply this by a few hundred shouting matches and it’s a cringe-​worthy experience that I’ve seen several musicians get visibly annoyed at.
Last night I heard that Akron Family actually stopped the show said something about it. That’s pretty bad Vancouver, when the band that you paid to go see needs to tell you to shut up and listen to their music. Manners and common sense seem to be desperately lacking from the Vancouver music scene. It’s beyond me why acts still come here and play at places like the Biltmore.
So common Biltmore, step up to the plate and do something about this. If you’re hosting these acts, at least have the decency to give them a place to play where they are greeted with a little respect. Otherwise, let them know up front what they’re in for. Not doing so is pretty lame of you.

Went here for a concert; it was confusing to get to using the GPS as it told us to park on the other side of the building. We asked the hotel adjacent to it, though, and they directed us into the right direction. From the outside, it looks like a quaint little place, and I was prepared to go there loving it just from the outside (and for having one of my favorite bands perform).
It was pretty crowded inside; the bathrooms were okay, too, unlike many other similar venues. We managed to get a seat off to the side, but all of the standing people blocked most of our view (this is arguably my fault, too, as I could have also stood up).
The real downturn of this place came when I went to order a beer; I was a little turned off by the prices (even for the pitchers), but I was especially turned off by the attitude of the bartender. She was just generally rude and snappy – maybe she was having a bad night, or maybe she just didn’t like me; either way, I expect more from someone whose primary job is customer service.
I would give it a second chance; although the attitude reflected poorly on the Biltmore, that isn’t entirely the establishment’s fault. Hopefully I’ll be able to update this at one point soon!

I LOVE this bar. I have gone for many shows and most recently this weekend, Kitty Nights. Burlesque is entertaining, not my fave, but entertaining. I remember the music they played for dancing after the show to be a bit better but that doesn’t take any points away from this totally rad venue.
Any shows I’ve seen here have been kick-​ass as well as intimate. I have many times enjoyed :)

PINBALL REVIEW
Machines:
Family Guy
Let me say that I would probably give the Biltmore a 5 star grade normally, but this a Pinball review, Family Guy is a decent game, but it’s the only one. Some additional games would be welcome, but the Biltmore does a lot of things good, so I guess they can’t be perfect.
⁹⁄₃₀ Unilocal 30 in 30

Falls du etwas alternativere Locations suchst bist du mit dem Biltmore gut bedient! Eine mittelgroße, urige Location für Indiedisco, aber vor allem für Rockmusik Konzerte. Das Biltmore hat ein ziemlich gut ausgesuchtes Booking, nicht abschrecken lassen, falls du mal was nicht kennst! Ein bischen im Internet rumsuchen und vielleicht gefällt dir ja doch was da so spielt, von Indie– über Kuschelrock zu Metal und Punk! Für Vancouver ist das Biltmore auch noch sehr sehr günstig, sowohl von den Eintritts– als auch Getränkepreisen!
Der Sound der Musikanlage hat mich nie wirklich enttäuscht, und es sieht einfach hübsch aus! So ein bischen wie ein verrauchter Pub mit spärlicher Beleuchtung und riesen Tanzfläche.
Auf jeden Fall immer einen Blick ins Programm Wert, ich hatte so zufällig The Growlers entdeckt!
PS: Die Leute vom Biltmore halten fast immer ein paar Karten für die Abendkasse zurück, also nicht traurig sein wenn du kein Ticket mehr bekommst sondern einfach früh davor stehen und Fragen obs noch welche gibt!

This is a fantastic little bar. Great for all kinds of live shows.
I’ve been here for a couple concerts and the burlesque show and I’ve had a great time every time.
This place manages to attract a really unique and diverse crowd, so people watching is often as fun as the actual show.
There is a great selection of beer on tap and in bottles, the prices are reasonable and the staff is pretty friendly.
I can’t exactly put my finger on what kind of character this venue has, but it has character in spades. It reminds me a lot of The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto.
If you ever get a chance to see a show here, take it, You don’t be disappointed.

I’ve had this place bookmarked on Unilocal for ages, and when The Coronas were in town and playing there I jumped at the chance to check it out.
It’s awesome — kitschy, retro, kind of a dive but really cool at the same time. Red velvet covered seats line the perimeter walls, a small stage and 2 bars to choose from.
There’s a painting of a matador as soon as you come down the entrance stairs, and two deer heads (which I spent the night trying to figure out if they were real). The place isn’t classy, it’s a dive and it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. But the booze is plentiful, the seats are comfy, and they seem to be great at bringing in good shows. I plan on seeing a burlesque show there and reviewing again.
Also, an inordinate number of men in plaid shirts. not sure what that means, but, heads up!